Southern Hemisphere

to be built in Australia

The largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere will be built in Australia at Macarthur near Hamilton, 260km west of Melbourne, Victoria. Comprising 140 Vestas V112-3.0 MW wind turbine generators, the 420 MW Macarthur Wind Farm will have the capacity to power more than 220,000 average Victorian homes and abate more than 1.7 million tons of greenhouse gases every year – the equivalent of taking more than 420,000 cars off the road each year.

Power companies AGL and Meridian will each fund 50 percent of the capital construction costs, while AGL will acquire all of the wind farm’s energy output and renewable energy certificates. Recent enhancements to the Australian Government’s 2020 Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme will require around 9,500 MW of new renewable energy generation capacity to be built this decade. The Macarthur Wind Farm is expected to be fully operational in 2013 at a time when it will be needed to meet the legislated demand for Renewable Energy Certificates under the RET scheme.

At the formal launch of the project the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby, said, “This $1 billion project will help cut emissions, create new jobs and provide clean energy for Victorians. Attracting a renewable project of this scale to Victoria is yet another example of how Victoria is leading the way towards a clean energy future.”

The Macarthur site is one of the first to utilize Vestas’ new 3.0 MW V112 turbines which AGL CEO and Managing Director, Michael Fraser says has allowed the project to increase the capacity of the wind farm while reducing the number of towers from 174 to 140.

The V112-3.0 MW turbines are designed for low and medium wind sites and, according to Vestas, deliver high productivity due to their large swept area, higher rotor efficiency and better serviceability and reliability. With a rotor diameter of 112m (367ft), swept area of 9,852m2, cut-in wind speed of 3 m/s and cut-out wind speed of 25m/s, they should be well suited to the Macarthur site that has an average wind speed of 7.6m/s.

The first turbines are expected on site during Q3 2011, with the whole project expected to be completed by the first half of 2013.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

1:50Add toAdded to queue Bicycle Wheel Windmillby gravityisweakFeatured Video300,175 views

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Less is more for cost-efficient wind farming

A wind tunnel on the Homewood campus the researchers used to experiment with variables such as the correct spacing of wind turbines

(Image: Will Kirk/Homewoodphoto.jhu.edu)

Hemisphere to be built in Australia

The largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere will be built in Australia at Macarthur near Hamilton, 260km west of Melbourne, Victoria. Comprising 140 Vestas V112-3.0 MW wind turbine generators, the 420 MW Macarthur Wind Farm will have the capacity to power more than 220,000 average Victorian homes and abate more than 1.7 million tons of greenhouse gases every year – the equivalent of taking more than 420,000 cars off the road each year.

Power companies AGL and Meridian will each fund 50 percent of the capital construction costs, while AGL will acquire all of the wind farm’s energy output and renewable energy certificates. Recent enhancements to the Australian Government’s 2020 Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme will require around 9,500 MW of new renewable energy generation capacity to be built this decade. The Macarthur Wind Farm is expected to be fully operational in 2013 at a time when it will be needed to meet the legislated demand for Renewable Energy Certificates under the RET scheme.

At the formal launch of the project the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby, said, “This $1 billion project will help cut emissions, create new jobs and provide clean energy for Victorians. Attracting a renewable project of this scale to Victoria is yet another example of how Victoria is leading the way towards a clean energy future.”

The Macarthur site is one of the first to utilize Vestas’ new 3.0 MW V112 turbines which AGL CEO and Managing Director, Michael Fraser says has allowed the project to increase the capacity of the wind farm while reducing the number of towers from 174 to 140.

The V112-3.0 MW turbines are designed for low and medium wind sites and, according to Vestas, deliver high productivity due to their large swept area, higher rotor efficiency and better serviceability and reliability. With a rotor diameter of 112m (367ft), swept area of 9,852m2, cut-in wind speed of 3 m/s and cut-out wind speed of 25m/s, they should be well suited to the Macarthur site that has an average wind speed of 7.6m/s.

The first turbines are expected on site during Q3 2011, with the whole project expected to be completed by the first half of 2013.

It is heartening to note that Australia will be having largest Wind farm. In fact harnessing Wind Energy in Australia has a long history.100000 water pumping windmills were in operation especially in the farms

Wind power in Australia is a proven and reliable technology that can be and is readily deployed. At the close of 2009, there were about 33 wind farms in Australia, most of which have turbines of from 1.5 to 3 megawatts (MW). The total operating wind generating capacity at the end of 2009 was 1877 MW providing 1.3% of Australia’s national electricity demand. South Australia has more than half of the nation’s wind power capacity,whilst Victoria also has a sizeable system, with large proposals for expansion.

The Garnaut Climate Change Review, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and the Mandatory Renewable energy Target announced by the Australian Government involve a reduction in Australian greenhouse gas emissions. Australia is the highest emitter of greenhouse gases per capita in the developed world and wind power is well placed to grow and deliver greenhouse gas emission cuts on a cost competitive basis. A typical 50-megawatt (MW) wind farm in Australia can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 65,000 and 115,000 tonnes a year.

Australia has excellent wind resources by world standard. The southern coastline lies in the roaring forties and hundreds of sites have average wind speeds above 8 or even 9 m/s at 50 m above ground (the hub height of a modern wind generator). The southwest of Western Australia, southern South Australia, western Victoria, northern Tasmania and elevated areas of New South Wales and Queensland have good wind resources. Several states engaged in systematic wind speed monitoring in the 1980s and 1990s, the results of which are publicly available. Australian wind farms produce on average capacity factors of 30%u201335%, making wind an attractive option. However, the modelling of how wind generating capacity correlates with electricity demand in terms of daily, seasonal and year-to-year patterns of both, has yet to be conducted.

As of April 2008, Australia had installed electricity generation capacity from wind power of approximately 1125 MW and nationally wind farms contributed just over 1% of total electricity production. In the state of South Australia, this figure is about 15%.(Source: Wikipedia).

Australia can exploit wind energy to supplement its energy needs. Also Australia can consider going in for Off shore Wind Farms.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

is a wind farm without the turbines

Wind turbines are an increasingly popular way to generate clean energy with large-scale wind farms springing up all over the world. However, many residents near proposed wind farm sites have raised concerns over the aesthetics and the low frequency vibrations they claim are generated by wind turbines. An interesting Windstalk concept devised by New York design firm Atelier DNA could overcome both these problems while still allowing a comparable amount of electricity to be generated by the wind.

Devised as a potential clean energy generation project/tourist attraction for Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, the Windstalk concept consists of 1,203 carbon fiber reinforced resin poles, which stand 55 meters (180 feet) high and are anchored to the ground in concrete bases that range between 10 and 20 meters (33-66 ft) in diameter. The poles, which measure 30cm (12 in.) in diameter at the base, tapering up to a diameter of 5cm (2 in.) at the top, are packed with a stack of piezoelectric ceramic discs. Between the discs are electrodes that are connected by cables that run the length of each pole – one cable connects the even electrodes, while another connects the odd ones.

So, instead of relying on the wind to turn a turbine to generate electricity, when the pole sways in the wind, the stack of piezoelectric discs are compressed, generating a current through the electrodes. In a nice visual way to indicate how much – if any – power the poles are generating, the top 50cm (20 in.) of each pole is fitted with an LED lamp that glows and dims relative to the amount of power. So when the wind stops, the LED’s go dark.

As a way to maximize the amount of electricity the Windstalk farm would generate, the concept also places a torque generator within the concrete base of each pole. As the poles sway, fluid is forced through the cylinders of an array of current generating shock absorbers to convert the kinetic energy of the swaying poles into electrical energy.

Because the electricity generation capabilities of a Windstalk field site would depend on the wind, the designers have devised a way to store the energy. Below the field of poles would be two large chambers located on top of each other and shaped like the bases of the poles but inverted, (see the cross section image of the pole base section below). When the wind is blowing, part of the electricity generated is used to power a set of pumps that moves water from the lower chamber to the upper one. Then, when the wind dies down, the water flows from the upper chamber down to the lower chamber, turning the pumps into generators.

The WIndstalk project is still only a concept, so the designers haven’t determined the optimal shape for the stalks, saying computer simulations could be used to devise the best profile for maximizing the pole’s movement and variation. Even so, the design team estimates that the overall electricity output of the concept would be comparable to that of a conventional wind turbine array because, even though a single wind turbine that is limited to the same height as the poles may produce more energy than a single Windstalk, the Windstalks can be packed in much denser arrays.

The Atelier DNA Windstalk concept took out second prize in the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) competition this year that asked entrants to “design a series of land/environmental art installations that uniquely combine aesthetic intrigue and artistic concept with clean energy generation.”

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

seemingly kooky concepts

Michael Liedtke October 13, 2010 – 10:05AM

In its self-proclaimed drive to make the world a better place, Google has immersed itself in far more than internet search and online ads. But driverless cars and a wind energy farm in the Atlantic Ocean?

It may not always be immediately apparent to frustrated investors – they wish management would be more frugal and focus more on the stock price – but there’s usually some calculated logic underlying Google’s unconventional strategy.

Google’s brain trust – founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, along with CEO Eric Schmidt – clearly think differently than most corporate leaders, and may eventually encourage more companies to take risks that might not pay off for years, if ever.

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Google has invested $US1.05 million into this scheme – a form of alternative transportation that places people in plastic tubes so that they can cycle to their destination whilst hung upside down.

The time is ripe for long-term thinking, with memories still fresh of the financial meltdown – a byproduct of Wall Street’s demands for companies to deliver ever-higher profits every three months and meet earnings targets set by analysts.

“Everywhere you look in this country, it seems that we are suffering from the consequences of too much short-term thinking,” said longtime Silicon Valley forecaster Paul Saffo, managing director of foresight for Discern Analytics.

“Google doesn’t have this disease,” he said. “It is one of the few lone bright spots we have in that regard.”

Google’s founders have told investors in the past that the company would be willing to finance projects with just a 10 per cent chance of yielding a return of at least $US1 billion. Photo: Frank Maiorana

Even so, it might be difficult to fathom how Google can justify paying for the development of robotic technology that has driven cars thousands of miles on California roads without a major accident and committing potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to help build a wind farm hundreds of miles from the Eastern Seaboard.

With a little imagination, it’s easier to see how Google might benefit. For instance, Saffo surmises that the driverless technology eventually could be implanted into a fleet of vehicles used for car sharing.

Google then could use a camera to take new pictures of streets and highways that appear in its online maps, another example of a service that once seemed like a diversion from its internet search engine but is now an indispensable tool that helps the company sell advertising.

The company announced this week it would buy a 37.5 per cent stake in the Atlantic Ocean wind energy project, investing in a network of deepwater transmission lines to bring power from still-to-be-built offshore wind farms.

That makes more sense when you realise Google already sucks up massive amounts of energy from the power grid and expects to consume even more in the next decade as it opens more datacentres filled with row upon row of computers to run its internet services.

And if the value of renewable energy rises, as many analysts expect, Google eventually could even sell its stake for a tidy profit.

Or it could turn out to be a total bust, something Page and Brin warned potential investors could happen in April 2004 when they laid out their iconoclastic approach to business before Google sold its stock in an initial public offering.

“Our long-term focus may simply be the wrong business strategy,” they warned. “Competitors may be rewarded for short-term tactics and grow stronger as a result. As potential investors, you should consider the risks around our long-term focus.”

The Google founders also told investors that the company would be willing to finance projects with just a 10 per cent chance of yielding a return of at least $US1 billion – bets that seem “very speculative or even strange”.

Google’s transparency about its unorthodox ways may be one reason the company hasn’t been stung yet by an outcry from its shareholders, although most analysts agree the stock price probably would be higher if management were to use some of the company’s $US30 billion in cash to pay a quarterly dividend or buy back shares.

Google stock closed at $US541.39 on Tuesday US time, down 13 per cent for the year and far off its all-time high of nearly $US750 three years ago.

The company’s uninterrupted streak of prosperity since its August 2004 IPO hasn’t hurt, either.

Google can afford to gamble more frequently than most companies because it dominates the internet’s most lucrative market, the ads running alongside search results. And Google has seized on that opportunity in a manner that would make Gordon Gekko proud, beating back its competitors to boost its annual revenue from just $US86 million in 2001 to nearly $US30 billion now.

The company, based in Mountain View, California, began branching out beyond search well before it went public.

It set up an online news section that compiles the day’s top stories in 2002. Just a few months before its August 2004 IPO, Google unveiled a free email service that boasted an unprecedented – and still expanding – amount of space per inbox.

In 2004, it bought an obscure digital mapping service called Keyhole that eventually turned Google into the place to go for directions. Even rival CEOs, such as Yahoo’s Carol Bartz, say it’s the best around.

More recently, Google created a free mobile operating system called Android that now powers millions of smart phones. This month, it’s rolling out technology with Sony that weds traditional television viewing with web surfing.

Google’s expansion into mobile phones and television never seemed like quantum leaps for the company because they are little more than attempts to transplant its advertising model onto other internet-connected screens that attract a lot of eyeballs.

The company also has poured money into building more widely available and faster ways for people to connect to the internet, reasoning that it will make money if more web surfers have the opportunity to use its ubiquitous services.

Schmidt, Google’s CEO, frequently tries to defuse the perception that the company is frivolous. He contends the company’s formula is disciplined: 70 per cent of its resources go to the main search business, 20 per cent to other projects connected to search, and 10 per cent to initiatives that have nothing to do with search.

It’s difficult to argue with the formula so far, said Colin Gillis of the stock market research firm BGC Financial.

“As an analyst, I do hammer them on their [rising] expenses and some of their questionable investments,” he said. “But as a user of all their products, I love them. And from a purely personal perspective, I appreciate that Google is trying to use technology to solve the world’s problems.”

Received & published by Henry Sapiecha

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick (UPI) — Energy companies in Canada’s Maritime Provinces say they are studying ways for their customers to help them utilize wind energy more efficiently.

Wind power is environmentally friendly but unpredictable compared to carbon-fueled sources of electricity, which are always available as needed, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.

A $32 million Power Shift Atlantic project is intended to recruit consumers to help solve the problem by developing ways to use wind-generated power whenever it is available.

“So what we’re looking at is being able to manipulate customer usage, whether it be refrigeration, or air conditioning or process-related,” said John Gaudet of Prince Edward Island’s Maritime Electric.

“So like if the wind blows in the middle of the night, potentially processes could be operated in the middle of the night,” he said.

Power Shift Atlantic wants 2,000 commercial and residential customers to take part in the pilot project.

Researchers at the University of New Brunswick are studying wind patterns in the region to determine peak wind-generation times, so customers will be able to plan their power usage.

The project is also looking at systems that will provide power with minimum inconvenience to the customer.

“Can we control customer apparatus at these times so we can turn them on, use that electricity, and turn them off when the wind isn’t blowing, all without the need to consult or inform or contact the customer?” Gaudet said.

Copyright 2010 by United Press International

Received & published by Henry Sapiecha

for largest wind farm in U.S.

New York-based alternative energy supplier Terra-Gen Power has secured $1.2 billion in financing for the construction of what it says will be the largest wind farm in the U.S. The funds will deliver four projects at the company’s Alta Wind Energy Center in Kern County, California, with a capacity of 570 megawatts. A total of 190 3.0 MW Vestas-American Wind Technology turbines will be used in the new initiative. These will be added to the already underway 150 MW Alta Project I which uses GE turbines. Eventually it’s envisioned that the Alta Wind Energy Center will deliver 3,000 MW of wind power.

Construction is expected to begin immediately and Terra-Gen says the 720 MW potential of the first five projects at the Alta Wind Energy Center will increase the installed wind capacity in California by more than 25% and deliver enough clean, renewable energy to supply up to two hundred thousand homes. Commercial operations are slated to begin in 2011.

“We are delighted to have closed this financing and to be working with Vestas and GE on the Alta projects. The project represents an important expansion of the renewable generating base of California and helps us advance our nation’s goals of achieving energy independence in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Jim Pagano, CEO of Terra-Gen. “The Alta projects I-V will create more than 1,500 domestic manufacturing, construction and operation and maintenance jobs, and inject more than $600 million into the local economy. We are grateful to Kern County, the State of California, the U.S. Congress, and the Treasury Department for their supportive renewable energy policies, without which ambitious projects like the Alta Wind Energy Center would simply not be possible.”

The company signed a purchase agreement with Southern California Edison in 2006 to deliver 1,550 MW of power and currently has 21 renewable energy projects in operation in six states, with more than 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity under development.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Lifecycle. Wind power generation from the roof top of your building

David Hare, who describes himself as an “environmental
entrepreneur”, owns 80 per cent of Windation Energy Systems
Australia – a would-be maker of rooftop wind turbines. (The
turbines’ American designer owns the other 20 per cent).
The missing piece is another investor to take him from
holding the Australian and New Zealand licence rights to
contracting a local manufacturer to, if all goes well, selling
turbines to commercial building owners.
But the 38-year-old’s “main business” is one he owns solely:
Eco Rebates.
As well as holding the Windation investment, Eco Rebates
advises homeowners and businesses on how they can save

energy and water. Its 60 assessors have been accredited under

the national Green Loans program (meaning the federal government will pay the $250 assessmen fee on homeowners’ behalf).
A vegetarian since he was 24, Hare’s entrepreneurism is even more longstanding.
His family’s engineering firm(Hare & Forbes) stretches back over eight decades. In his 20s his marketing helpedCentury 21 become Optus’ top mobilephone dealer in the 1990s.
The following decade he wenton to found his first business,
thecomputerschool.net, a computertraining company he sold in 2007.
Its sale seeded a series of propertyprojects, which fed Hare’s growing
awareness of how homes and buildingsadd to climate change. Eco Rebates
turned this awareness into a businessopportunity. In October, 2008, a headline
on technology website CNET – “Urban wind power inspired
by ancient Persia” – caught Hare’s attention. He immediately
made contact with the subject of the story, Iranian-born
Mark Sheikhrezai, who was installing his first wind turbine at
the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in California. Sheikhrezai
persuaded Hare to bring the idea to Australia.
The turbine, which generates up to 5 kilowatts of electricity,
is about the size of a commercial rooftop air-conditioning unit.
Hare says there is “quite a bit of interest” from local building
owners and power companies but says he needs the help of
the government (which subsidises rooftop solar panels but not
wind turbines), local industry (to bring the unit and installation
cost down from $30,000) and, of course, investors.
The green tinge of his newest ventures is no accident, Hare
says. “I am very passionate about making positive, constructive
changes globally.”.

….More >>>Windation Energy Systems_Australia_Commercial in Confidence V2

…More >>> www.mandatorydisclosureconsultants.com.au

Received & published by Henry Sapiecha